February 14, 2013

Students are consumers, so make their college search a tremendous shopping experience.

Feb. 14, 2013 at 09:00 AM | By Erin Brown | Comment Count

Whether a student is shopping for a pair of sneakers or a college education, Millennials appreciate instantaneous information delivered in a way that meets their interests, goals, and lifestyle. However, recruitment strategies that are geared more toward quantitative rather than qualitative marketing techniques traditionally have fallen short of providing rewarding experiences when engaging with students. Today, with the proliferation and necessity of personalized communications, emerging marketing channels, like custom microsites and smartphone apps, offer opportunity for admissions professionals to dive in to a new age of student recruitment. Say hello to the age of STUDENTS AS CONSUMERS.

Students as Consumers

Make researching for college school fun with engaging, accessible, web-friendly content.

When researching schools, students expect to see media-rich collateral like e-brochures, video libraries, virtual tours, and photo galleries. These materials can bring your school experience to life without stepping foot on campus. By using online resources to tell your brand story, you convey value and capture the attention of your target audience.

Keep it short and sweet.

Recent trends show students are applying to more schools and visiting more campuses. It is critical recruitment materials help you stand out from the crowd. To keep students interested, your online materials should be short, to the point, and easy to navigate. A good rule of thumb is to ensure landing pages are clean, organized, and have concise calls to action above the fold.

Optimize for mobile.

More than 50% of prospective students view college and university websites via their smartphone or tablet. Provide a pleasant and consistent experience; ensure your site is optimized for these devices. Also consider offering easy-to-use mobile apps and tools that students can download and use throughout the admissions process.

Print isn’t dead, not yet anyway.

Even in today’s media-rich world, print is not dead. A word of caution, however, be selective in who you choose to target with print materials by paying attention to students who show genuine interest in your institution.

Did they attend a campus visit or reception?
Did they complete an online form?

Avoid wasting money on costly print promotions by staying away from “blanket mailing” larger groups of prospective students and praying for responses.

Personalize your approach

Personalization (beyond just using the students name) can help your institution get noticed, cultivating better relationships earlier in the recruitment process. For example, if Sally Student from Memphis is interested in accounting and plays the trumpet in her high school band, her recruitment materials could focus on business majors, music electives, and contain testimonials from current students who are also from Tennessee.

Employ a comprehensive strategy

This is a no brainer. Drive more students to enrollment by reviewing and/or devising a comprehensive recruiting strategy that is as unique as each student you are recruiting. Find out how Hobsons can help or contact us for more information.